Leadership & Staff

Dr. Martha Farah is Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, founding Director of Penn’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, who now directs the Center for Neuroscience & Society. Her current research focuses on the effects of childhood poverty on brain development, and ethical issues emerging from advances in the neuroscience of cognition and emotion. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and 7 books, including Neuroethics: An Introduction with Readings ( MIT Press) and, with Anjan Chatterjee, Neuroethics in Practice: Mind, Medicine and Society (Oxford University Press).

Geoffrey K. Aguirre, MD, PhDAssociate Director

Dr. Geoff Aguirre is Associate Professor of Neurology, Assistant Director of the Neurology Residency Program and Associate Director of the Center for Neuroscience & Society at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist whose clinical and research work concerns the organization of the brain for mental operations, in particular the loss and recovery of visual ability. He has also written and lectured widely on the uses and misuses of brain imaging in legal and other contexts.

Stephen Morse, JD, PhDAssociate Director

Dr. Stephen Morse is the Ferdinand Wakeman Hubbell Professor of Law and a Professor of Psychology and Law in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a renowned expert in criminal and mental health law, whose work emphasizes individual responsibility in criminal and civil law. Professionally trained in both law and psychology at Harvard, Morse has written for law reviews, journals of psychology and psychiatry and edited collections, and he has contributed numerous op-ed articles. He is the former Co-Director of the MacArthur Foundation Project on Law and Neuroscience, and co-editor with Adina Roskies of A Primer on Criminal Law and Neuroscience.

Emily Falk, PhDAssociate Director

Dr. Emily Falk is an Associate Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, with a secondary appointments in Psychology and Marketing at Penn. Falk employs a variety of methods in the performance of her research, with a focus on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). She has worked to develop a program of research in what she calls “Communication Neuroscience” to link neural activity (in response to persuasive messages) to behaviors at the individual, group, and population levels.

Hilary Gerstein, PhDAssociate Director of Education

Dr. Hilary Gerstein is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Associate Director of the graduate certificate program in Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN), and Associate Director of Education at the Center for Neuroscience & Society at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a trained neuroscientist with prior work in connecting molecules, cells, and brain regions to behaviors in both human and animal models. She has a great deal of experience teaching neuroscience to students of all levels, both in and out of the formal classroom, and has worked in science communication on Capitol Hill and for documentary film. Her current focus is science literacy and helping students from other fields use the study of neuroscience to further their own professional goals.

Sue Yee ChenProgram Coordinator

Sue Yee manages the CNS’ entire portfolio of educational programs and events. Prior to joining CNS, Sue Yee served as Outreach Manager with Community Partnership School as a part of the Philly Fellows Program. In this role, she developed support for CPS initiatives through cultivation of organizational partnerships and development opportunities. Sue Yee is a Master’s candidate in the Penn Organizational Dynamics program and graduated with honors from Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her B.A. in Sociology and Education.